Watford win deserved - Dyche

Clarets boss Sean Dyche felt his side more than deserved to beat former club Watford at Turf Moor.

Scott Arfield, coming in for the injured Robbie Brady, scored the only goal, though Johann Berg Gudmundsson and substitute Ashley Barnes both had efforts chalked off for offside, Barnes bizarrely so.

Sean Dyche

The Hornets had Marvin Zeegalaar sent off for a two-footed challenge on Steven Defour, and Dyche said: “It’s not easy to win games in the Premier League, but we had the chances and scored a couple that were chalked off.

“They’re delicate decisions, and if they’ve fathomed them out, particularly the one that bounces off someone and falls to Barnesy, that’s the way it goes.

“It was a confusing moment, I think everyone would agree.

“You can’t always tell, but their players don’t react at all, other than ‘that’s a goal’, which is not always a sign, but sometimes is.”

Scott Arfield scores the only goal

He added: “They went down to 10 men, and then its the old favourite, sometimes the hardest ones to win are the ones you’re meant to, but I think we saw the game thoroughly through.

“I must mention their keeper, he’s made two top-class saves from Johann, and a couple other decent saves, so we’ve done enough to win the game, I’m sure of that.

“We didn’t start very well, credit to them, and then we started to grow into the game and the feeling in the stadium started to change.

“Our players started getting on the front foot, then the sending off makes it different, but it was a thorough performance again and I’m very pleased overall.”

Asked about the red card, he admitted: “It’s a definite sending off, I thought it was at the time and I’ve seen it, it’s definite.”

And he was bemused by the offside calls: “I’ve no complaints if the decisions are right, but the second one I can’t work out. I’m serious, our player goes to play Wood in, Barnesy’s foot is half an inch offside, but he’s nothing to do with that bit.

“Then their lad clears it onto one of their players, and now Barnesy is not offside and whacks it in the back of the net.

“Pick the bones out of that one. I don’t know, is it offside, is it not offside? There’s that many things happened.

“But the main thing I look at is the score.”

Arfield has taken flak in some quarters on social media from some Burnley fans, but showed great composure and quick feet to score.

Asked whether he was Mr Reliable, Dyche said: “Apparently not the other day when you were questioning me about him, but I did say he has the habit of putting it in some nets...it’s a great finish, a really calm finish.

“I’m pleased for him because it’s hard coming in when you’re not playing regularly, and he’s worked ever so hard and delivered a fine performance. As the game grew he was finding better passes.”

Ben Mee was absent for the first time in the Premier League after having stitches above his knee, with Kevin Long coming in for his first League start of the season: “Really pleased with Kev, it’s a funny one for him, he’s had to wait a long time for different spells of playing in the team, but he’s been working diligently all the time. His professionalism has been outstanding, as has the whole group.

“I just commended them again, we’ve had to make changes, but these lads work very hard away from playing, and it’s very tough, I’ve been a player and you want to play.

“Sometimes I’ve had to leave players off the bench even, which you wouldn’t want to, but the players deserve a lot of credit for their professional standards.

“When they come in, they’re ready to play. Great admiration for the players who aren’t playing.”